ARTistic director

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Anneke Belman began her dance training at the age of three and honed her skills with the Charlotte Ballet Conservatory Program. While there she also discovered a love of composition and movement discovery. After graduating, she spent her gap year in Dayton, Ohio working with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2. In 2019, Anneke graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance with a concentration in composition from SUNY Purchase. Anneke now works as a freelance dancer, choreographer and teaching artist in Orlando. Some of her highlights, in addition to working with Emergence, include performing at Teatro Martini, Universal Studios, and teaching with the Orlando Ballet’s Community Enrichment Program. She enjoys focusing her works on the LGBTQ+ experience, exploring various elements of acceptance, love, and growth. She has performed works by George Balanchine, Dawn Branch, Merce Cunningham, Mark Diamond, Cindy Heen, José Limon, Ana Maria Lucaciu, Patricia McBride, and Sarah Beth Oppenheim. This is Anneke’s second season with Emergence Dance Company, where she also serves as Rehearsal Director.

Meagan has been living and breathing dance since the age of 3. She always leaned on dance to be her way of coping and letting her body express herself. She strives to be her best self, while continuing to grow more and more everyday. Meagan grew up in Orlando, while competing globally in America and Canada. She spent time moving around studios until she found Focus as her true home. From then on she was named Intrigue’s True Performer, won numerous awards for her performances, danced for festivals around Orlando and her community, performed at Orlando Magic halftime, has begun choreographing for her home studio, starred in dance storytelling videos for “Three Hearts Dance”, and took on a huge leadership role. Her favorite part of her whole dance career is being a leader and expressing her passion to younger dancers. Now, she is currently teaching and sprouting her wings in Orlando, sharing her love for dance. She is so honored to be apart of the Focus Family as a staff member and teacher, assistant, and company choreographer. She has also won multiple choreography awards, and has a background of social media marketing for Focus, and dancing/ performing with “Emergence Dance Company”. Meagan takes true pride in giving and loving her dancers, while expressing herself in performance.

Catherine Linder began dancing in Kissimmee, Florida at the age of 11. Throughout the years she trained in ballet, jazz, musical theater, contemporary, and hip hop. Beyond dancing, she has a strong passion for serving her community through arts education. In 2015 she began her own after school arts program, HeARTS Heal, which focused on stimulating student's imaginations to raise awareness on global issues through art and dance. Additionally, she enjoys choreographing for Next Level Dance Studio, and loves the opportunity to connect with students at all levels in the dance world. 

Hi, my name is Cassidy Karins! I’m currently a sophomore at UCF studying for my entertainment management major and my dance minor. I was born in Florida and was raised in Hawaii. I started dancing when I was 12 and have trained in many styles since then. I started my competition training in 10th grade and have had a passion to pursue dance ever since.

Ethan started dancing as part of his high school’s winterguard program in 2015. He would perform on the junior varsity team that year and then go on to perform with the varsity team the next year which placed 11th in the national championship competition.  After high school, Ethan attended the University of Central Florida and performed with the Marching Knights as part of the Starlet Knights Colorguard. He also would join UCF Pegasus world class winterguard where he had a soloist position in the show that placed 11th in national championships out of almost 30 teams.  In 2017, Ethan began taking dance classes at UCF and in spring of 2018, he auditioned for and made the dance minor program.   Ethan teaches color guard in several high school programs around Orlando and now dances with Emergence Dance Company with Cindy Heen.

Katarina Yuhas started dancing in West Palm Beach at age 8. She has trained in ballet, contemporary ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, contemporary jazz, tap, lyrical, and hip hop. She moved to Orlando in 2018 and has a minor in dance from University of Central Florida, and is finishing her Bachelor of Arts, and is currently working toward an Associate of Science in physical therapy assistance with Seminole State College. She works for University Performing Arts Centre as their office manager and a teacher. 

I am Angelly Chávez, I am 23 years old, I am from Peru, a lawyer and a professional classical ballet dancer. I discovered my passion for dance at the age of 7 with my first ballet class, from there I did not stop until I finished my studies at the age of 16, graduating as a dancer and starting at 17 years of age to work professionally. in the professional ballet company of Trujillo in Peru, where I continue to be part of the dancer’s company to this day. I have always liked being a versatile dancer, that is why throughout my artistic life I have liked to train myself to continue growing, learning different genres such as jazz, modern dance, contemporary, street jazz, Latin rhythms, among others.

Heather fell in love with dance after taking her first class at the age of 9. In high school, she started dancing competitively and attended master classes and conventions from well known choreographers. She has trained in many genres including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, tap, and hip hop, and has experience choreographing and teaching dance. Heather is a sophomore at the University of Central Florida and is pursuing a major in entertainment management and a minor in dance. She currently teaches at Central Florida Dance Center, where she helps younger students grow and discover their passion for dance! 

Cambria Evans is a Doctor of Physical Therapy by trade, but lives and breathes to dance! Cambria has been trained in theater, dance, and vocal arts since childhood. Early credits include Little Women, High School Musical, Bye-Bye Birdie, and Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. She later received her bachelors of science at University of Florida while simultaneously working on a minor in dance. Through college she performed in the annual showcases with the UF dance program as well as choreographed and performed several of her own works for church. Since moving to Orlando, she has performed with New Element Dance Company, ESOR Jamaican Dance Company Seasons 2015, 2016, and 2017, and Dawn Branch Works production of Eden 2019, and 2020 and at Creative City Festival with David Gabriel in 2018 and Aretuza Ballerina Project in 2019. 

Born and raised in Orlando,Florida. At the age of three Chynna Mills developed her love for dance. Chynna has been dancing for eleven years. Chynna received her dance foundation at Nulook Dance Theater. Chynna has became the choreographer for the William R. Boone color-guard 2021-2022 season along with many other schools in Central Florida. In this season of self-discovery Chynna has been directed back to what’s important to her and that is her love for dance. Chynna is truly blessed to be apart of the Emergence Dance company. Chynna believes she has been blessed with this opportunity to learn, grow, connect  and fall in love more with the world of dance.  

Casey Lucidi began dancing at the age of 4 in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with training in tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, and hip hop. Graduating from UCF in 2018, Casey Earned her degree in Hospitality and Event Management and a minor degree in Dance. She has choreographed and performed in community theatre's across Central and South Florida with credits including UCF Celebrates the Arts, Oklahoma!, The Polar Express, The Wedding Singer, and Newsies. Additionally, Casey has performed multiple roles with Universal Studios Orlando, Seaworld Orlando, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Following graduation, Casey was fortunate enough to have studied abroad, which inspired her passion for travel and connecting with other cultures through dance.

Arianna Fleischman is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She began dancing at the age of 4, under the direction of Marta Jackson. She also trained extensively under Javier Fernandez, Eugenio Gonzalez, and Luis Abella, who is Abt national training curriculum certified. She is a certified member of The International Dance Council ( CID),a Certified Progressing Ballet Technique teacher, and a ambassador for Apolla Performance.She has attended many summer intensives, including: Fort Wayne Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Ballet MET, Orlando Ballet, and St.Lucie Ballet,, with scholarships to many of these and other various programs. After completing her local training,at the age of 18, she relocated to join Milwaukee Ballet's Pre Professional program under the direction of Rolando Yanes. She then joined Fort Wayne Ballet for their 2020 season under Karen Gibbons-Brown. She then moved on to dance with United Ballet Theatre under the direction of Joseph Gatti.She has guested with many companies and has done many roles such as: The Sugar plum fairy, The Dew Drop Fairy, and Clara in The Nutcracker, The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, and Kitri in an excerpt from Don Quixote. She is currently dancing under Emergence Dance and Dawn Branch Works, as well as freelancing as a dancer and is also a published model.